{"id":6563,"date":"2018-10-17T02:42:06","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T21:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.digitalcreed.in\/?p=6563"},"modified":"2020-05-24T11:49:15","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T06:19:15","slug":"sita-transformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digitalcreed.in\/sita-transformation\/","title":{"rendered":"How SITA is using technology and unique models to transform Indian Aviation"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Mr Jayant Sinha<\/strong>, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of India,<\/strong> the country is expected to become the largest domestic civil aviation market in the next 10 \u2013 15 years. IATA says India will displace UK for the third place by 2025.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s passenger traffic grew at 16.52 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to reach 308.75 million. It grew at a CAGR of 12.72 per cent during FY06-FY18.<\/p>\n

Domestic passenger traffic grew YoY by 18.28 per cent to reach 243 million in FY18 and is expected to become 293 million in FY20E. International passenger grew YoY by 10.43 per cent to reach 65 million in FY18 and traffic is expected to become 76 million in FY20E.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s middle class is increasingly opting to fly to domestic and international destinations, and this is creating a surge in demand for air travel. To meet this demand, India\u2019s private airlines have major expansion plans and have already ordered new aircraft.<\/p>\n

However, airport infrastructure in India is not keeping up with this projected growth and demand. In fact, there will be a need for 55 new (greenfield) airports by 2030 to keep up with traffic growth. Airports in India are already operating beyond their design capacity.<\/p>\n

SITA is using technology to solve challenges in the aviation industry around the world. We asked\u00a0Maneesh Jaikrishna<\/strong>– Vice President, Indian Subcontinent, Eastern & Southern Africa SITA, about his plans for the Indian aviation industry. We see that SITA has already achieved a lot at Indian airports, in terms of infrastructure modernisation. It is helping major Indian carriers to save on operational costs through pay-as-you-use models.<\/p>\n

Here is a detailed look at SITA\u2019s achievements and its plans to transform the Indian aviation industry.<\/p>\n

DC.<\/strong>Can you describe how SITA is transforming the travel experience for air passengers in a crowded and fast-growing aviation market like India?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ManeeshManeesh Jaikrishna:<\/strong>As per the latest report by CAPA, India\u2019s airports have handled 308 million passengers in FY2018, which is more than six times the 59 million handled in FY05. We at SITA strongly believe that technology will be a key factor that will help India airlines and airports manage this burgeoning growth<\/strong>. SITA is working closely with the Indian airports and is currently present in 45 of them, in order to meet the requirements of an enhanced passenger experience, and an increased capacity.<\/p>\n

We are providing technology solutions such as CUTE (common-use terminal equipment), CUSS (common-use self-service) and BRS (Baggage Reconciliation System). These solutions help smoothen the flow of passengers through the airport, which ensures faster and efficient flow of passengers. This is fundamental to increasing the capacity of an airport without the need to expand airport in brick and mortar. In this direction, Mumbai airport has taken pioneering step to implement Self-service Bag Drop in both domestic and international terminals, allowing passengers that have already checked in online to quickly tag and drop their baggage, before heading directly to the gate. SITA also has Airport Operations Command and Control (AOCC) in multiple airports which allows collaborative decision-making for all the airport operators in the day-to-day operations, and enables efficient utilization of airport infrastructure at the airports in respective cities it has been deployed in. These solutions have transformed the passenger\u2019s overall travel experience, making it seamless and helps in managing passenger traffic.<\/p>\n

As part of our focus on innovation, we are exploring technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, blockchain and biometrics<\/strong>. For example, blockchain is a technology that could drive collaboration. We also see biometrics\u00a0<\/strong>as a key technology to streamline passenger flow in the airport and across multiple stakeholders including airlines, airports and control authorities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

DC:<\/strong>How is SITA working with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other aviation authorities in India to modernise existing airports or to build new ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maneesh Jaikrishna:<\/strong>At SITA, we work closely with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and support AAI\u2019s vision of making India a major Asia Pacific hub for aviation. As the key technology provider to AAI, SITA contributes to airport expansion, playing a key role in master planning new terminals and expansions to ensure that new airports are operational as scheduled.<\/p>\n

SITA is enabling the transition from dedicated infrastructure to common-use technologies, which allow multiple airlines to use the same infrastructure. This is bringing significant space and cost savings at 45 Indian airports, while improving the throughput of passengers. There are 360 common-use self-service kiosks deployed across these airports, helping around 20 per cent of passengers fast track their journey. SITA\u2019s Airport Management System application is at the core of Airport Operations Control Centres (AOCCs) for 12 AAI airports and Mumbai International Airport. It is facilitating efficient airport management, enabling improved resource allocation through automation and quicker decision making; optimizing the use of airport resources; providing better synchronisation between operations, commercial and security, and centralised control over operations of all stakeholders; paving a path for Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM). SITA is actively engaged with Indian airport operators to bring self-service gates, bag drop solutions and e-Gates, each contributing to more efficient passenger flow. In this direction, Mumbai airport has taken a pioneering step to implement self-service Bag Drop in both domestic and international terminals.<\/p>\n

DC: Indian skies will get crowded as private airlines expand their fleets with hundreds of new aircraft. What steps are you taking to ensure safety in the skies? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Boeing,Maneesh Jaikrishna:<\/strong>Serving about 90 per cent of airlines operating in India since 2008, SITA is laying the foundation for efficient border management, and helping ensure the safety of Indian skies. \u00a0SITA facilitates airline-to-government interactions. It works closely with the Bureau of Immigration to centralise Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) data delivery, and has supported the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in enabling airlines to comply with MHA\u2019s 2008 mandate for outbound APIS.<\/p>\n

SITA has taken the following initiatives towards ensuring safety:<\/p>\n